As a sports enthusiast who has always been conscious of what I eat, it seemed ironic that I found myself at 40 years old stricken with a disease that was caused by my diet.
I was a busy guy–raising a family, running a business, managing our farm, coaching, counseling the youth at our church–the list goes on. Those were crazy days! And in the middle of it all, I found time to exercise every day, even participating in body-building and endurance events.
At the time, and based on the latest information of the day, my diet consisted of the same seven or eight foods that I ate on repeat. I was also taking in gobs of supplements–I think I was trying to outsmart Mother Nature, buying into all the marketing hype that was accepted at the time. Although my body might have looked great on the outside, I was ravaged on the inside!
Over time, symptoms like brain fog, fatigue, rashes, thrush, constipation, and cramping all became an everyday occurrence. What was happening to me? The symptoms continued for almost two years, and every day, they seemed to get progressively worse. For a long time, there seemed to be no end in sight. I’d go to sleep at night hoping that by morning, I’d finally wake up feeling refreshed and normal again. But it never happened. I knew I couldn’t function like this any longer; the brain fog and chronic fatigue were impossible to hide. Slowly, I felt myself losing the will to live.
After two years of just surviving, hoping time would heal me, I sought help. I went to my family doctor who sent me off to a specialist–and he to another, and yet another. After being passed around with no clear diagnosis, let alone any answers, I decided to revisit my core beliefs. I found a holistic doctor who, after performing a series of tests on me, discovered a combination of several maladies riddling my body. Though mercury and heavy metals seemed to be the root of my problems, Systemic Candida, EBV Stage 4, IBS and early stages of Crohn’s Disease were all becoming acute. Terrible, right? But, I looked at these findings as validation! For the first time in years, I knew what was wrong, and I was determined to fix it!
I picked up a book called Healing with Whole Foods, by Paul Pitchford. The book is based on Eastern traditions of diet and nutrition. I read it cover to cover, and within the pages, for the first time in two years, I found hope. I wrote a new diet protocol for myself; I started by eliminating foods that were causing my problems and including foods that would detoxify and repair my body.
My journey back to health didn’t stop there. I began researching the digestive system and consuming every book I could find related to whole-foods nutrition and sports nutrition. A new world was opening up to me. Within fruits, veggies, grains, beans, legumes, lean proteins and healthy fats are countless phytonutrients, micronutrients and macronutrients that science estimates may exceed 100,000 different kinds. I was denying myself these healing nutrients for years. It’s no wonder my immune system was compromised! I saw that the power to cure my diseases was within and all around me–I just needed to unlock the code.
I had total control, and only I could heal myself. But it was going to take time to do it right. Cells replicate at the rate of 300 billion every day; so, completely replacing my body’s approximately 75 trillion cells could take up to 9–12 months. I had to make that commitment to myself and my kids. This meant having to deny all of the “temptations” that everyone around me enjoyed and to restrict my diet to just “healing” foods. After several weeks, I noticed a positive change in my overall well-being that inspired me to keep going. As weeks turned into months, I continued to improve, my brain fog lifted, my digestive distress eased, and my energy returned. It was a miracle! I found the power to heal in Nature’s Pharmacy–through clean, unadulterated, whole-foods.
It took more than a year to heal myself, and I certainly could have done so sooner. Truth be told, I am only human, and several times during this journey when I started to feel better, I’d cheat on my diet and BAM! I’d feel like I was starting over. But, after correcting my mistakes and getting back on the protocol, my body responded more rapidly
Today, 20 years later, I am 100% healed. None of my supposedly incurable diseases have ever recurred, and I love my life. I enjoy the abundant cornucopia of whole-foods that Mother Nature has given us. All of the foods that I eliminated are also now back in my diet. I have seen whole-foods help many people recover from illness and alleviate symptoms that once held them back from living their best lives. I have also seen whole-foods help people achieve new levels of athletic performance and break plateaus that before seemed unbreakable.
When I left the roofing business to start Performance Food Centers (PFC), it was with one goal in mind: to bring whole-foods to people who care about their bodies while simplifying the complex world of nutrition. This became my credo. I wanted to share my success with the world and truly help people find the answers they were searching for, answers that the conventional medical community did not embrace or believe in. Since then, we’ve helped thousands of people achieve their goals, whether it be those in health clubs looking to lose 100 pounds or those trying to reverse Type 2 Diabetes. We believe in the power of whole-foods and we believe in the power of you.
After 20 years and over 3,000 juice bars opened across health clubs, schools and wellness centers, PFC and swiig provide the best natural, whole-food products available. We have the strength in numbers to help create change, as our juice bars are serving thousands of shakes a day nationwide, in Canada and on many islands. Throughout the growth of PFC, we created the products that are now all together under our brand: swiig. Today, we have over 100 swiig products available to people everywhere and get to help them live happier, healthier lives.
The eating plan I followed to heal myself can be found on our website by clicking here. Along with the recommended foods to help your body fight the ailments I once fought, we’ve also included foods that we believe can help you heal and relieve symptoms from other ailments, along with general health and wellness tips.
We promise that we will continue to create and find new products that are minimally processed and free from all the not-so-healthy things that my generation grew up on. To truly simplify your lives, we will strive to educate you on the principles of whole-food nutrition and show you how to best include the foods and supplements we offer to help you achieve your goals.
Enjoy the good things in life, enjoy the bounty of whole-foods and remember: “You are what your food eats!” So, eat well!
Enjoy the good things in life, enjoy the bounty of whole-foods and remember: “You are what your food eats!” Eat Well!
– Dan